Bangkok Trip, Day 1

Our flight to Bangkok on Christmas day was at 7:50AM. It was a little early for us since we slept late on Christmas Eve.

EJ made a fuss upon waking up. He wanted to sleep more even after telling him we were going to ride an airplane that day. Usually it would perk him up. But I guess he was really tired from playing his drum set the previous night.

After a lot of bribing and coaching, he finally woke up but was still cranky.

We arrived to a sunny Bangkok. Photo above was at Bangkok's arrival hall.

We took the airport's "limo" to our hotel. We paid 1,600Baht. We found out later on that this was very expensive. Oh well.

We were booked at Centara Grand @ Central World Hotel. And we were very pleased with our choice. The hotel is only one-year old and everything still looks spanking new. It's a 5-star hotel with great amenities.

The concierge

The lobby at 23rd floor

Our room. I love its color scheme.

The bathroom with a round tub. I love the rainshower!

The flat screen TV with our name on it :)

We had in-room lunch because we were all tired to go outside. And we had a long nap after the lunch. We woke up at 6PM. Showered, changed and feeling recharged, we went down to Central World Mall.

This is the connecting hall to the Central World Mall from our hotel. I love the fact that our hotel is just above a shopping mall. Not only that, we were walking distance to other malls as well, like the trendy Siam Paragon, MBK, and upscale Gaysorn Mall.

I never thought Christmas will be a big deal at Bangkok. But it was! Uh, okay..commercialized. The mall was awash with Christmas decorations. The restaurants were full, some even had a long queue outside the restos. We had a hard time finding a restaurant that night. But we ended up in a Thai resto :)

We went back to our hotel at past 9PM and headed to their bar/resto at 55th floor. We were turned away because babies/children were not allowed. It was a very formal setting! :)

So we went down to another bar at the 23rd floor. Turned out this was a better choice as they have a terrace with comfy tents. We had the terrace all to ourselves until 11PM.

When guests started trickling in we decided to retire for the night. But only after EJ clicked our glasses for cheers! :)

Now I'll leave you with a view from the bar's terrace. Next post will be our organized tour to two temples.

Little Drummer

Here's EJ banging the drum set :)

Yummy Sunday - Room Service

This is my second Yummy Sunday entry. Sorry if it's late, we just got back from Bangkok late last night.



We had in-room lunch when we arrived at the hotel in Bangkok last Christmas Day because EJ was not in the mood to go and eat outside.

Anyway, this was hubby's order - steak with rice.


And he downed it with a coke zero on ice. Perfect late lunch!

Christmas '08

We had a simple, fuss-free Christmas Eve Celebration at home. It was intimate as it was only the three of us but it was fun and meaningful too.

EJ didn't want to wear his Christmas outfit (long sleeves) hence the t-shirt only. But he still looked cute so we didn't force him. Hehehe.


I didn't prepare a lot of food for our Noche Buena as we were travelling the following day. We just had some cookies (store-bought) and some cocktail meats with wine for us and juice for EJ. But we had dinner at a restaurant prior to this.


EJ couldn't wait to open his gift. And honestly, I was too excited to open mine too. Hahaha!

EJ got a drum set as gift. But we realized it may not be a good choice after all. We're afraid the sound might annoy our neighbors :


EJ slept just before midnight. But hubby and I stayed a little bit later to continue with the celebration. We did have some romantic moments on our own..hehehe.


It was a beautiful Christmas celebration.

Quick peep

Just a quick hello. We're still here in Bangkok for the holidays.

Here's a photo of our Christmas eve celebration at home. Story and more photos when we get back to KL.


Hope you're all having a wonderful time this holiday season!

Christmas Greetings

I must really be THAT excited to have woken up at 4:50AM today. Yes, it's the 24th (although my blog date is different, must fix it soon)! And in a few hours, it's Christmas Eve already.

Since we're flying tomorrow (by AirAsia and not by MH as originally planned, and yes, I've bought a travel insurance for security), we've decided to have our Christmas Eve celebration at home. We're just going to have an early dinner in a restaurant somewhere and then have a platter of assorted meats and biscuits/cookies with wine and Christmas songs playing at the background later on at home.

Unlike our Christmas Eve celebration last year, this time it's quieter and intimate as it's only the three of us. I can hardly wait.

I don't think I can manage to sneak internet time later on and tomorrow, so I'd like to extend my greetings to you (my family, friends, anonymous readers..hehe) now.

Merry Christmas and hope you have a fantastic time!!!

Savvy investor, anyone?

Mutual fund...MF...Equity...Bonds....

What do I know about these financial terms? Not much, I am afraid. But I am trying to learn more about the financial world. After all, it's part of our lives.

Since I don't earn (aside from shopping money I earn from blogging), I try to help hubby by budgeting our finances, encouraging him to invest and suggesting where to invest our savings.

We already have a mutual fund. We invested in MF last year. It is not doing well right now. I even read that some people have withdrawn their investments for fear of the NAVPs going zero. According to experts, it's not likely to happen.

So we're staying put. And we're positive it's going to rebound later on. The sooner the better of course. Although our investment in MF is for long term.

As I have said, NAVPs are down right now. I read that it is the best time to invest, albeit with a little caution.

So now we're thinking if we should invest on another MF. It's really tempting but quite scary too.

Anybody knows a thing or two about these things?

I guess I should read and research more.

Yummy Sunday - Breakfast

This is my first entry for Yummy Sunday.



We had brunch at Dome Cafe earlier today. Perfect way to kick start a somehow lazy Sunday.

Hubby ordered big breakfast paired with iced lemon tea.

I ordered a stack of pancakes and paired it with cafe latte.

EJ had rainbow cookie to munch on while waiting for our food.

I was once a high school student

This is a tag from Kaye. This is a serious trip down memory lane because I am not sure I will ever be able to recount accurately my high school life. But of course I can recall the highlights of it.

So here it goes:

I went to Saint Michael's School (Madrid, Surigao del Sur) for my high school. There were only two schools in our town. The other one was a public school.

I don't remember the reason now but I originally wanted to go to the public school. But of course, I couldn't/wouldn't be allowed to. My aunt was a principal in that private school. My parents graduated from that school. My two older brothers graduated from that school. And basically all my relatives graduated or is studying in that school.

I was a good student (okay an honor student). I did well in both academics and extra curricular activities. And I was one of those popular kids. But being in a small town, everbody seems to be popular. Hahaha!

I remember being a mayor in the class from first year all the way to fourth year. I held various positions in several school organization and student body (it's a case of staying too long in power! hahaha).

I joined journalism when I was in third year and was sent to represent our school in district and regional competitions. When I was in fourth year I won in the RSSPC (Regional Secondary Schools Press Conference) and was sent to a National competition. Of course, I didn't win. Hahaha!

I was forced to join a beauty contest. I didn't want to but I guess I was still too shy and timid to say no to a teacher back then. Needless to say, I didn't win an award. But my best buddy took the crown (Neng, pwede pahiram picture mo para post ko dito? hehehe)!

I was also a battalion comander. A position I didn't covet.

Of course high school is not much fun if it's just about academics and extra curricular activities. What made it fun were the crushes, the gimiks, the occasional cutting of classes, foundation day and sports activities, and of course the gossips. LOL.

Being popular in school does not make you immune to gossips. I had my fair share of it. But I don't remember it now (or simply chose not to remember?).

My fourth year in high school was kind of tumultuous..hahaha! Well, it felt that way. I had a great set of friends at the start of the school but during the middle term, I had none. I was a subject of gossip and it felt like I was alone. I couldn't even defend myself. I was always out of school then because there were too many activities I attended. There was the journalism district conference, regional conference, Youth Day (when Pope John Paul visited Manila), among others.

There was one funny incident I just have to share. A teacher had to referee a fight between me and the rest of my classmates. I was alone while the rest (almost half of the class) was ganging up on me, accusing me of being an irresponsible leader! (Langga, inaway mo ako nun!!!) I was probably irresponsible but I blamed it on my frequent travels. It's really funny now when I look back at that incident. But during that fight, I never felt so alone. Hahaha!

We eventually patched things up and all's well that ends well. Hehehe.

That's my high school story or at least the part that I remember well.

What about you? What's your favorite high school memory?

The best day of the week

I love Friday evenings. I always look forward to it. For one, it spells no diet for me. It means I can eat whatever I want. LOL. Second, it means hubby is in charge of babysitting. Hurray! And last, I love our family's playtime in the bedroom. We get to play as much as we like, and sleep late.

This evening is no exemption. When the clock struck at 6PM, I pm'd hubby and asked him if he was going home by 6:30. He said a little later than 6:30 but not after 7PM.

So when he arrived home before seven we immediately went outside. I was famished and was in the mood to eat a lot! Good thing he felt the same way.

At times like this, there's only one place we go to - restaurant at Jalan Alor (now I know the street name!)

This is what we ordered:

Sweet and sour fish

Buttered prawns

Sweet and spicy crabs

Not in the picture is the Kangkong belacan (it's a stir-fried kangkong with a spicy sauce). I have come to really like this food.

I didn't eat much of the crab though. I couldn't afford to get messy with a child around. As usual the buttered prawns were delicious!

After a sumptous dinner, we had to burn the calories somehow, unless I'd like to take some Leptovox, so we walked a bit. We ended up in a factory outlet store (FOS) inside Sungei Wang.

I was so excited to find a white GAP tee. I was actually looking for a white shirt at GAP the other night. Unfortunately they didn't have one. So imagine my delight when I found it at FOS for a super discounted price. I bought two for only RM29 ($8).

After that we went back to Times Square to buy groceries. While I was inside the grocery store, hubby and EJ were playing in the mall's open space.

EJ saw a stage. He went up and just started dancing. Totally devoid of stage fright. Hahaha!



Too bad I didn't see this. Oh well..

So that was how we spent our Friday evening. Probably boring to single people but totally fun for us! :))

Have a great weekend guys!

Blog Lovin'

I have just been tagged by Kaye. Thanks sis! It seems like you're on a roll. Hehehe.

I am passing this on to my favorite girls in Maldives: Edge and Yvonne :))

1. Put the logo in your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who shared it with you.
3. Pass this award to your Blogger Friends
4. Add your link to the list of participants below
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

Blog Lovers: 1. Soul Anchor 2. Cookie’s Corner 3. Ane of Life According To Me 4. Tales of a Pinay Single Mommy 5. A Girl For All for Status 6. Sasha says… 7. Say Cheese 8. Juliana’s World 9. The Bisdak Experience 10. Mumsified 11.YOU NEXT!

Thai Diet

No, it's not what you think.

While having dinner the other night at a food court, hubby said we should go on a Thai Diet. Huh? Is that a new diet craze? I didn't know that a Thai diet exists.

He smiled and explained that since we're flying to Bangkok on Christmas, we should restrain ourselves from eating Thai food until then.

Ahhhh....

Ever since I have tasted an authentic Thai Food in Maldives (Sala Thai), I have become a huge fan. Even if it was expensive, we always go to that restaurant every weekend (sometimes twice a week) for our dose of Thai cuisine. The owners (German husband and Thai wife tandem) have become EJ's fan too.

When we moved here in KL, I was so happy to find out that Thai food can be had for a fraction of the price in Maldives.

We eat out maybe 5 or 6 times a week. And half of that time, we are in a Thai restaurant. It's funny how I have become addicted to a spicy and hot food. I used to dislike anything too spicy and hot. But now, I crave for exactly that.

My usual order in a thai restaurants are: phad thai (but of course), green curry, deep fried fish in sweet and sour sauce, thai fragrant rice and for dessert, mango with sticky rice is a must.

It's exactly seven days before we fly to Bangkok. I am uber excited. I can't wait to fall in love with the place. And of course, eat Thai food.

Maybe we should eat one more time at a thai resto before going to Bangkok so I can compare the taste?

Filling the gap

We're suspecting EJ is teething again. He's drooling more than usual, he is gritting his teeth, and today he pooped twice, both loose (although this is not really a sign of teething). He seems fine though and it's business as usual for him.

Hopefully it's just teething and nothing else. Which reminds me I have to check how many teeth he has now. I have to check also which tooth/teeth are coming out at this stage. And I thought he's through it already.

Anyway, I have to hit the bed soon after checking about security system. We need to be up early for EJ's gymboree class tomorrow.

Stuck

It seems...I have run out of things to write.....for now.

I spend my days counting down to Christmas, reading all the fab blogs in the blogosphere, reading updates in Facebook or doing my rounds of skipping rope....that is, if I am not on mommy duty.

Will be back sometime.

Santa comes to the mall

We just came back from the mall. I was excited for EJ when I saw a "live" Santa milling around the entrance of the Pavilion mall. I thought he'd be excited too. I took hubby's fone out and was ready to snap a shot of him with Santa.

But then he cried.

Oh no, he's scared of Santa! I forgot that he's scared of clowns and anything with a costume (including Santa apparently).

The funny thing is when we were outside the mall, he said "come back, Santa, come back!"

~~~

It has been a great day today. But I have one more thing to do before I close my laptop, search for those great Vegas vacations deals :)

Have a nice weekend everybody.

Pepper Lunch in KL

We finally made our way to the tables of Pepper Lunch at Pavilion Mall last night. I was expecting a long line at the counter but surprisingly there was no line at all. And there were so many vacant seats inside.


Anyway I ordered a hamburger steak with egg for me and a combo chicken and salmon for hubby. I ordered 1 extra rice anticipating the need for it.

Hubby's order arrived first. He took a bite of the chicken first and said it was good. Great!


When my order came, I was drooling. It looked good. I took a small bite it was juicy and.....it was salty! I don't know if that was how it was supposed to taste but it was really salty for my taste. I asked hubby to take a bite. Verdict? Salty.


I was so disappointed. I didn't even eat half of my food. If I eat this way all the time then there's no need for me to try a diet pill. Hehehe.

Meanwhile hubby was enjoying his food. He even finished the extra rice I ordered! It looks like we're still going back to Pepper Lunch. But next time I won't order the hamburger steak anymore.

PS. We forgot to bring our camera. I used hubby's phone for the photos above.

Steaks etc

We were in Pavilion yesterday to buy some Christmas stuff.

I was happy to find out the Pepper Lunch has already opened inside the Food Court. Too bad we had dinner already when we passed by.


Will eat there sometime this week. I forgot to check the prices. Hopefully not too expensive.

Don't be sorry

If you've been wanting to use diet pills but always stop yourself from buying one because of the price, now is the perfect time to buy. Not only because it is Christmas but because there are cheap diet pills available online now.

Think of it as a christmas gift for yourself or think of it as a precautionary measure. It's the holidays and for sure there will be food, lots of it. So it is better to be prepared than sorry.

Me? I am ready for the holiday.

Upgraded to Nikon D60

Hubby has been meaning to replace our trusty three-year old KodakZ7590 camera (there's a chip in the lens already) with a DSLR. I suggested a Nikon D40 or D60 and a Canon EOS 40D because the reviews I read were quite good.

We went to Low Yat yesterday and hubby found a good deal (with a bag and tripod) for the Nikon D60.

The excited DSLR owner :)

The above photos were taken with our old Kodak camera. Below photos are taken with the new Nikon D60.

See the difference? Hubby is happy. I am too because I'll be using this camera for my photos here in my blog. Teehee!

Pacquaio defeated dela Hoya

This is one proud moment for Filipinos.

As mentioned on my earlier post, hubby subscribed to Astro Cable for the Pacquaio-dela Hoya fight. We paid around RM43 (US12). It was worth it.

I cooked lunch as early as 10AM today so I can watch the fight which was scheduled around noon. True enough they came to the ring at around 12noon.

I was glad I did cook early. When the fight started we couldn't get our eyes off the TV.

Before the start of the fight I was a little bit scared. Odds are against Manny (height, reach, etc) and a lot of people didn't think he could stop dela Hoya. But when they started exchanging jabs and hooks, I knew from the start that Manny will win. Dela Hoya looked a little bit sluggish while Manny was quick.

I thought Dela Hoya was going down on the 8th round. He did not. But he called it quits after that round.

Congratulations to Manny Pacquiao. He is not only a champion but a hero as well. Keep doing good. We're proud of you.

Weekend Discoveries

I have a new favorite mall here in KL. But Pavilion is still my number 1 favorite mall because it is only a walking distance from our place.

My new favorite mall is the Bangsar Village II. It's just beside the Bangsar Village Shopping Center.

We found this mall by mistake. Yesterday we went to Gymboree for EJ's class. I told the taxi driver to bring us to Bangsar Village. All the while I thought there was only one shopping mall there. It turned out it's a commercial village with the two Bangsar Malls (the old one and the new one) plus other restaurants nearby.

The taxi driver stopped at Bangsar Village II. I thought it was still the old one, only we were coming from another entrance. I was surprised to find out that this is not the building where Gymboree is located. But I was glad to have stumbled upon this.

The mall is new (I pressume) and the stores inside have nice designs. I saw a lot of stores I want to check out next time I visit.

Here's their Christmas Tree made from recycled 1.5L bottle of softdrinks. I love it!

We found out that the two malls (old and new) are connected via a skybridge. So after having ice cream at Haagen Dazs, we went to Gymboree in time for EJ's class.

EJ didn't take a nap prior to his class. I thought he'd throw a tantrum inside. Thankfully he didn't. Although it took about two minutes before he joined in.

When the "auntie" showed a picture of flowers and asked the kids what it was, EJ shouted "A flower!". Hehehe

He finished his class and eagerly participated in all the activities. Well, except when it was time to kiss Gymbo the clown - Gymboree's mascot. He's still a little bit scared of mascots and clowns.
After EJ's class we went around the mall. EJ fell asleep and hubby had to sit down. We had coffee at Starbucks and waited until EJ woke up.

He woke up after an hour. We headed to the taxi stand outside. Glad that the rain has let up. We decided to take a taxi until KL Sentral only because we know that most drivers won't bring us to Times Square. Reason? Traffic!

So from KL Sentral we took the monorail back to Times Square. Glad we took that route. Otherwise we would have been stuck in traffic.

Before heading home we had dinner first at the newly opened Very Thai on the lower ground of Times Square. But more on that on my later post.

Tired but happy. I'm excited to go back to Bangsar Village II.